Flow control device



Jan. 26, 1954 c. w. ST. CLAIR FLOW CONTROL DEVICE Filed Feb. 8, 1949 a 1 WW a 04V a g? M 1 J a d 9, m a j INVENTOR.

6644:9468 H4 5'7: 624/ BY 4 z 3 Wu, rrae/vsys Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOW GONTROL DEVICE Charles W. St. Clair,- Painesville, Ohio, assignor to The Goo Manufacturing Company, Painesville, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 8, 1949, Serial N 0. 75,258

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for delivering liquid under pressure and, more particularly, to apparatus of this character which includes a pump driven continuously by an electric motor and a pump by-pass having a novelilow control device therein. The improved apparatus is es pecially suitable for supplying feed water to a boiler and is hereinafter described in that connection although the apparatus could be used for delivering various kinds of liquids.

In supplying feed water to a steam boiler by a feed pump driven by an electricmotor, and particularly to a boiler or a marine vessel, a troublesome problem is presented in that the feed valve to the boiler is closed from time to time and un less a by-pass means is provided for the pump the electric motor will be overloaded and may become damaged by overheating,

This problem has been met by providing byepas's means for this purpose which includes a novel flowcontrol device adapted to permit a continu ous but restricted now of feed water from the discharge side of the pump to the intake side thereof.

Another problem encountered in feed Water delivery apparatus of this character results from the fact that the feed water has a destructive action on the flow control device of the pump bypass means. It has been found that the feed water produces an erosive as well as a corrosive action on the metal of the flow control device and that this action occurs particularly on the discharge side of the orifice means. This destructive action of the feed water is probably caused by the oxygen or oxygen bubbles carried by the water, or possibly by other particles or ingredients of the water, but regardless of the cause, this action is such as to produce damage to the flow control device making necessary an early replacement of this device. The present invention meets this latter problem.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel liquid flow control device having a flow controlling restriction means in the passage thereof and in which lining means adapted to resist the destructive action of the liquid is employed in the passage on the discharge side of the restriction means.

Another object is to provide a novel liquid flow control device of this character in which the restriction means is in the form of a continuously open orifice means and in which the lining em ployed in the passage on the discharge side of the orifice means is in the form of sleeve means made of a metal which is more resistant to corrosion and erosion as, for example, by being harder than the metal of the body portion of the control de vice.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel liquid flow control device of this character in which a circuitous passage extending there.- through is formed by intersecting bores extending into the metal body of the device and in which the flow control orifice means is located in one or more of the bores and the sleeve means for resisting the destructive action of the liquid is also mounted in one or more of the bores.

The invention can be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and particularly set out in the claim hereof.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

Fig. l is an elevation showing feed water delivery apparatus embodying the novel liquid flow control device of the present invention;

Fig, 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the liquid flow control device;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the now control device as indicated by section line 3+3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken on section line 4- 4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing the lining sleeve mem bers in detached relation and with portions there of broken away.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing there is shown a water delivery apparatus I0 which includes a feed water heater I I and a ump I2 for supplying feed water from the heater I I to the boiler I3. An electric motor I4 is connected with the pump I2 and drives the same continuously. The pump 12 is provided on the suction side thereof with an'intake member I 5 which is connected with the feed water heater II by a pipe line I6 which includes a 1' I1. The pump I2 is provided on the delivery side thereof with a discharge member I8 which is connected with the boiler I3 by a pipe line I9 which includes a T 20 and a conventional feed valve 2].

While feed water is being supplied to the boiler I3 by the delivery apparatus Ill, it is frequently desirable or necessary to close the feed valve 2|. Since the pump I2 is driven continuously by the electric motor I4, the closing of the feed valve 2I imposes a heavy load on the motor and in order to prevent damage to the motor by overheating, a by-pass 22 is provided to permit feed water to be discharged from the delivery side of the pump to the suction side thereof. This by=pass coinpriSeS a pipe line connecting the Ts I1 and 20, as shown in Fig. l, and a now control device 23. Al

though the discharge end of the by-pass 22 is here shown connected to the suction side of the pump |2 by being connected with the pipe line it, it could instead be connected with the suction side of the pump by being connected with the feed water heater The fiow control device 23 is of a novel construction provided by this invention and cornprises a metal body 24 having inlet and discharge end portions 24a and 24b adapted for connection with adjacent portions of the pipe line 22 as by means of the flanges 25 and 26 shown in this instance. The body 24 has a passage 21 extending therethrough which includes inlet and discharge passage portions 28 and 29 extending axially of the end portions 24a and 24b. The passage 21 also includes a group of substantially parallel passage portions 30, 3| and 32 extending into the body 24 transversely thereof. The passage 21 is also formed, in part, by connecting passage portions 33 and 34 extending into the body transversely thereof, the connecting passage portion 33 being located between the passage portions 30 and 3| and the connecting passage portion 34 being located between the passage portions 3|a and 32a. The end passage portions 35 and 32 of the group or series of parallel passage portions are intersected, respectively, by the inner ends of the end passage portions 28 and 29. From the arrangement just described above for these passage portions it will be seen that they provide a continuous circuitous passage 2! in the body 24.

The body 24 of the control device 23 is preferably constructed as a forging although it could be of some other suitable construction such as a metal casting. The inlet and discharge passage portions 28 and 29 can be formed as bores or cored openings extending axially into the end portions 24a and 24b of the body 24. The parallel passage portions 30, 3| and 32 can be formed as bores or cored openings extending into the body 24 transversely thereof. The bore 35 preferably extends into the body only far enough to be intersected by the end passage portion 28. For a purpose to be presently explained, the bores 3| and 32 are formed by portions extending partway into the body 24 from opposite sides thereof so as to leave shoulder portions or collars 35 and 36 in these bores at an intermediate point thereof. In this instance, the bores 30, 3| and 32 all open through the lower face 31 of the body 24 and at this point are provided with tapped portions 38, 39 and 45 in which the closure plugs 4|, 42 and 43 are screwed for closing these ends of the bores. The plugs 4|, 42 and 43 are preferably permanently retained in the tapped openings 38, 39 and 40 by being welded to the body 24 as indicated at 44.

The upper ends of the bores 3| and 32 are formed by bore portions 3|a and 32a which extend into the body 24 from the upper face 45 thereof. The outer ends of the bore portions 3|a and 32a are provided with tapped openings 45 and 41 which are closed by removable screw plugs 48 and 49. When the bores 30, 3| and 32 are formed in the body 24, intervening walls 53 and are left in the body, of which the wall 55 separates the bores 30 and 3| and the wall 5| separates the bores 3| and 32 and also separates the bore portions 3|a and 32a.

To complete the circuitous passage 21. the bores 33 and 34 are formed in the body so as to extend into the walls 50 and 5| and form connecting passages between the pairs of the main or parfice plug 55 is provided allel bores. As shown in Fig. 3 the bores 33 and 34 need extend only partway through the body 24 and are closed at the outer end thereof by screw plugs 52 and 53 which are permanently retained in place by being welded to the body 24'. The bores 33 and 34 are of a greater diameter than the thickness of the intervening walls 50 and 5| so that opposite sides of these bores will break through the walls and communicate with the pairs of main bores through pairs of opposed ports 54 as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4.

For controlling the flow of liquid through the circuitous passage 21 of the device 23 permanently open flow restricting means is provided therein. In this instance the flow restricting means is formed by the orifice fittings or plugs 55 and 56 which are located in the bores 3| and 32 so as to be in a series relation in the passage 2?. The orifice plugs 55 and 55 are externally threaded and 'are mounted in the body 24 by being screwed into tapped openings defined by the shoulder portions or collars 35 and 36. The oriwith a continuously open fiow restricting orifice 51 and the orifice plug 55 is likewise provided with a continuously open flow restricting orifice 58.

The orifices 51 and 58 are of an appropriate size to provide the desired restriction for the flow of the water through the passage 21 of the fiow control device. For example, when the pressure being delivered by the pump |2 is on the order of 750 lbs. per square inch for feeding water into the boiler l3 against a boiler pressure of approximately 600 lbs. per square inch, the orifices 51 and 58 may be of a size to reduce the pressure of the water flowing therethrough from the 750 lb. value just mentioned to approximately 25 lbs. per square inch. The orifices 51 and 58 are also of a size such that in producing this pressure drop they will permit a flow of an appropriate volume of water from the discharge side of the pump to the suction side thereof, for example on the order of four to ten per cent of the water being delivered by the pump, such that the elec tric motor I5 will not be dangerously overloaded when the feed valve 2| is closed.

In some cases other values may be desired for the pressure drop and volume of flow of the water in the by-pass 22, and these can be obtained by removing the orifice plugs 55 and 56 and substituting other plugs having orifices of a different size. To permit this to be done the orifice plugs are preferably formed with a non-circular portion 59 on the upper end thereof to which a suitable socket wrench can be applied after the screw plugs 48 and 49 have been removed. It should be understood that although the flow control device 23 is here shown as being provided with two orifice plugs 55 and 56, one of these orifice plugs, for example the orifice plug 55, could be omitted in those cases where the desired flow control action can be accomplished by the orifice plug 55 alone.

As previously mentioned herein, the liquid being handled by the flow control device 23 sometimes has a destructive action on the metal of the body 24 and this has been found to be true when the liquid is boiler feed water. The destructive action of feed water occurs particularly in the portion of the passage 21 which is located on the discharge side of the orifice means and when two orifice plugs are employed, occurs particularly on the discharge side of the orifice plug 55 or, in other words, occurs mainly in the passage portions 32 and 29. This destructive action seems to be, in part, an erosive action which wears or washes away a portion of the metal of the body 24 and, in part, a corrosive action by which a portion of the metal of the body becomes corroded or oxidized.

To prevent this destructive action in the passage portions 32 and 29, a lining is provided therein in accordance with this invention which is made of a material which will resist the corrosive and erosive action, for example, a suitable metal alloy. An alloy consisting of approximatehr 18 per cent chrome, 8 per cent nickel and 74 per cent steel has been found suitable for this purpose although various other suitable alloys could be used. As here shown, the lining is formed by a pair of substantially cylindrical sleeve members 60 and BI which are mounted in the passage portions 32 and 29 and are made from the alloy just mentioned and hence are harder than the metal of the body 24.

The sleeve member 69 can be retained in place in the passage portion 29 by being fitted tightly thereinto such as by being sweated or shrunk in place. The sleeve member 5| can be retained in place in the passage portion 32 by means of the plug 43. The adjacent ends of the sleeve members 60 and 91 are notched, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and have a complemental interfitting engagement with each other so as to provide an open commurfication passage junction between these sleeve members. The sleeve members 99 and 6!, when constructed and mounted as above explained form a substantially continuous singlethickness lining in the outlet passage portion 29 and in the final transverse passage portion 32 and have been found to effectively resist erosion and corrosion by the feed water and to materially prolong the life of the flow control device 23.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing it will now be readily understood that this invention provides a novel liquid flow control device which can be used, for example, in a by-pass for a feed water pump or the like which is continuously driven by an electric motor. It will also be seen that this invention provides a novel liquid flow control device having continuously open orifice means in the passage thereof for producing a desired restriction in the fiow of the liquid through the device, and in which novel lining means employed in the passage of the device on the discharge side of the orifice means effectively prevents erosion or corrosion of the metal by the feed water or other liquid passing through the device.

Although the novel liquid flow control device of this invention has been illustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be regarded as being limited correspondingly in scope but includes all changes and modifications coming within the terms of the claim hereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A fiow control device for a liquid under pressure having corrosive or erosive properties comprising, a metal body having a single continuous passage extending in circuitous relation therethrough and including an axial outlet passage portion and a plurality of serially connected transverse passage portions of which the final transverse passage portion is intersected at substantially right angles by said outlet passage portion, orifice members mounted in said body internally thereof and defining permanently open flow restrictions in certain of said transverse passage portions including said final transverse passage portion, the orifice member of said final transverse passage portion being located therein at a point which is upstream from the intersection of said outlet passage portion therewith, and preformed single-thickness substantially cylindrical lining sleeves disposed in and lying against the internal walls of said outlet passage portion and said final transverse passage portion and being respectively of substantially the same length as said outlet passage portion and the portion of said final transverse passage portion which is downstream from the orifice member thereof, said lining sleeves having notched end and side portions respectively in complemental interfitting engagement and defining a passage junction such that said lining sleeves form a single-thickness substantially continuous lining for substantially the entire wall surface of said outlet passage portion and for substantially the entire wall surface of said downstream portion of said final transverse passage portion, said lining sleeves being formed of a metal which is harder than the metal of said body and being effective to shield the wall of said outlet passage portion and the wall of said downstream portion of said final transverse passage portion from the corrosive or erosive action of said liquid.

CHARLES W. ST. CLAIR.

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